The Gift
by Victoria Micheal
Summary: On his deathbed Erik recieves a gift that will give him what he always wanted. Please R&R this is a very unique retelling of the story. I garantee this has never quite been done before.
1. Default Chapter

Prolouge  
  
"Erik..." I tuned out that too familiar voice of Nadir. The last thing I want right now is for him to pity me. "Erik. I need to tell you something." I groaned silently. Why won't he leave and go be someone else's conscience. I played my organ even louder letting the notes rattle the the crystal vase on the table. "ERIK!" Nadir slammed his fist on the organ. I turned to him, my blue gaze tinted with red.  
  
"I let Cara go. I let her leave with that infernal boy Robert. The only thing I have left in my god forsaken life is my music. Can't you go and leave me be?" I dropped my head onto the organ top and waved my hand at Nadir. "Say your piece and let me be."   
  
"I talked to Mr. Leroux, he wants to write your story."   
  
"Great." I muttered. "Anything else?"  
  
"Here I want to show you something."  
  
I lifted my head and looked at the daily newspaper. I ran my hand through my thinning black/gray hair. I felt an unfamiliar tightening in my chest cavity. I clutched my chest and gazed at the paper heading "ACTRESS MARRIES TRADING PRINCE" Cara Dela, the newest diva at the London Opera House married Robert Chade, the son of french trading mongol Louis Chade. Cara who was first a performer at the Paris Opera for about six months moved over to london when the house ran into major trouble with its reigning diva...." Black spots ran across my eyes, the tightening in my chest increased and I felt my left arm become numb. A crap hit my stomach making my groan and made me fall backwards on to the floor.   
  
"Erik, what's wrong." What's wrong, you ask my dear sweet conscience. I'm dying if you can't tell.   
  
"I'm dying." I moaned and with his help we were able to get me to the Victoria Room where I hosted Cara those precious weeks before my masque came off. Nadir lifted me up onto the bed, with me helping very little. I let out a deep sigh. So this was it.   
  
"Erik, is there anything else I could do for you?"  
  
"Seal the house up."  
  
Nadir nodded and looking at him I motioned him out of the room. "I would like to be alone when I go Nadir. Please lock the door when you leave. I made my final wish to my only friend. "You were a good friend Nadir."  
  
"And you...Erik, you were the best man I ever knew, even with the casual murders." I heard his voice become thicker as he spoke. I closed my eyes and I felt him take my mask off my face. "You will not be condemned in death to wear the mask as you were in life." He lifted my silver mask off my face and sat it down next to me. I felt him leave the room quietly closing and locking the door behind him. I lay there waiting in the darkness of my exsistence for the end of it. I felt something graze my face. It was warm soothing, something I had never felt before. I cracked my eyes open, too weak to raise my head. The beautiful light glowed above me. An angel to take my to the next phase of my life.   
  
"Erik, the angel's voice rang through my now fuzzy head. "Erik I have a gift for you if you accept it." A gift? It's too late for that. The only thing for me is death.   
  
"What is it?" I rasped. Not being able to put the power that was normally behind my voice.   
  
"I cannot tell you. You have to go on faith. You must choose now Erik, you do not have the time to ponder this. I closed my eyes. I had absolutely nothing to lose with this, and that angel seemed all too familiar...   
  
"Yes," I mouthed the word, my voice had given up its fight. Suddenly a flask appeared at my mouth.  
  
"Drink this." The voice commanded my drained senses. I had no choice but to let the fluid go down my throat, it soothed me as it settled into my stomach. I felt at peace with myself, for the first time in my life I felt relaxed. All I wanted to do now was sleep.   
  
"Sleep now Erik." I closed my eyes and let one more sigh escape my lips before nothing. 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 : Erik   
  
Air filled my lungs as I took a deep breath in. Breathing out, it dawned on me that I shouldn't be able to breathe, because I was dead or was suposed to be. The air that surrounded me was different from the stale, damp air from in the bowls of the opera. I took another deep breath, keeping my eyes closed I let my senses grasp my surroundings. Nothing felt familiar. The bed that I was resting on wasn't the bed in the Victoria Room. I opened my eyes and found myself starring at a low white ceiling. Something in the middle of the ceiling was spinning at an alarming speed. I lefted my hand up to rub my right temple, as soon as I touched my skin, I jerked my hand away and bolted straight up in the unfamiliar bed the dull throb behind my right temple exploded making me fall back into the bed. I shut my eyes. No matter how hard I tried though I couldn't get the image of the room out of my mind. It was now forever etched into me. The room had been somewhat small and smile but that wasn't grabbed my attention it was the strange objects that I had never seen before, there a black cubed shape that had a glassy front to it surrounded by duller black.   
  
Something told me that I wasn't in my home anymore, or even in Paris if my senses tell me true. I tried to remember how I got here. The last thing I could recall was that I was lying on my back and waiting for death to take me to the next phase of this enternal circle of life, when a glow caressed my bare face.  
  
"I have a gift for you Erik..."  
  
"You have to go faith."  
  
I opened my eyes, my head pain gone. I sat up in the bed, actaully feeling more healthy and alive than I had for a very long time. I automatically reached for my mask and felt it on the side of me. I put it on my face, I frowned. The mask didn't feel right against my skin. The mask pinched my chin and was completely cutting off circulation to my nose.  
  
NOSE?!  
  
I rushed out of the bed, my feet landing with a lous click when I hit the floor. I looked down and saw that I was still completely dressed in my evening attire. I hurried into the bathroom, took off my mask, took a deep breath and looked into the mirror.   
  
My face...  
  
I was in one word beautiful. My hair was thick and black, falling to my shoulders. My smooth even skin had the faint glow of youth to it. My face it's self was flawless, my nose right and straight, my black eyebrows arched gracefully over my blue gaze, My eyes were still the same, if they were still the same as before then.., I opened my mouth and with the ability that even surprised me, I sang the scale, my voice floating down through the open window and into the world below. I stopped and gazed back into the mirror. Someone I didn't know, yet knew completely looked back at me. I turned and raked my hand through my thick hair. My fingers thankfully retained the same length and elegance that allowed me to master virtually any instruament that was placed before. I looked around the bright small room, with its closed in walls and little yellow painted suns on the tightening walls. I needed air, and I needed it now. I went into the main room and put on my jacket and cloak. I grabbed my fedora hat, placed it on my head and tilted it to shadow were my mask usually lay. I put the mask on my face, made sure I had my trusty punjab lasso in my jacket pocket and put on my gloves. I have no idea of how I got into this place, but I'm not planning on staying here another moment.   
  
I turned, my cloak swirling around my legs and I walked to the door, not giving the room another thought. I turned the knob on the door and into the hall. I saw a young woman down the hall.   
  
I naturally turned from her and headed down the poorly made hall and met with a group of people who were getting into a little box.. I passed them and saw a door with a stair case pictured on the front. I opened the door and followed the steps downward. The trek, in my old body would have taken twice as long as it took me now, in my barrowed young body. I reached the bottom and opened the door that the small hallway leading from the base of stairs led too.   
  
I opened the door stepped out of the hall and into a world that I never thought I would see.   
  
**Author's note** If you are reading this, proves to me that my story isnt horrible. I have a small request now. I need phans. Anyone who wants to be in this please tell me when you review. Its not going to be like "Night at the Opera", "The Rebellion" or "Phan Brother." Just review and put faith in me. 


	3. Chapter 2

~~*~~From the desk of V.M. Thank you for reviewing for the first part of this story. I must say that I was quite pleased about the responses and who wanted to be in the story. I must ask a favor though, When you review and you mention that you want to be in the story, I must get your real name. For this phic of this nature I must ask this of you my friends. I can use the phans that gave me their names the first time in this chapter. I need people and names. There is something I need to say about this story, Christine and Raoul are not in this, so it cannot be E/C you can call it another woman phic, which i guess it is... Please don't stop reading it though, :) I promise it will be worth the time.~~*~~   
  
  
  
  
Chapter 2: Erik  
  
When I was living in Persia, I saw and heard things that I never thought that I would see again.   
  
I was wrong. And I don't like admitting to that.   
  
As I walked down the road, my head turned from left to right and then back again tring to process the images. There were women, dispite the chill in the air, were dressed with less clothing than the harlots in the Shah's harem. There were men who had tattoos, and I have seen tattoos, but not quite the designs and colors as these gentlemen. I also heard words... phrases I never even imagined. "Screw you buddy... go to hell you bastard... gete off the road you jackass... the more I heard, saw, experienced, the bigger the yearning to be in my lair and away from prying eyes and phrases I don't care to hear. That thought stopped me short, forcing people around me, and giving me more examples of the strange phrases.   
  
I thrusted a hand through my black hair. My Opera House. Was it still here? I frowned my eyebrows coming together behind my silver mask. Where was I anyway? I sighed before I can do anything I must find out where and when I was and then find out if my Opera was still standing. With somewhat of a plan in my head I made my way down the road and my gaze fell on a gentlemen who was playing a string instruament that looked a viiolin, but this was bigger and sat apon his knee. I approached, my hand near the punjab lasso just incase he was dangerous.   
  
"Sir," I said using English. "Could you perhaps tell me what the date is, where city this is and what time it is?"   
  
The man looked me up and down he snarled a mocking grin. "Yo' yung french kids' cant handle the city eh?" He laughed, a hard and wheezing sound. "Lookie, here this is the great New York City and the date is August 20 2002." The man fell back into laughter. "So are you gona pay me or wat?"  
  
"Pardon?"   
  
"Pay me." The man pulled a knife out of his greasy pocket. Before he could try to do some harm I pulled my lasso out of my pocket and snapped it around his hand. I gave it a little tug and the knife fell silently to the ground, I pulled a little more and effieciently broke his wrist. I pulled my lasso back and tucked it into the pocket. I stepped back from the man. "I did not want to hurt but, but sir, you gave me no choice. Thank you for the information." I tipped my hat towards my mask and continued down the street, oblivious to the stares that I was getting. I took a deep breath and instantly started to cough. The air here was worse than the damp air in the cellars. I straightened up and looked at the building arcross from me.   
  
The color drained from my face. My hands started to shake. I made my way across the path to the building, not hearing the words that were coming from the people around me. I reached the building and looked at the words on the advertisment.  
  
"The Phantom of the Opera." and underneath that was a mask and a rose. I stood there looking at those damning words for I don't know how long. What snapped me out my trance was the screaming of young girls that reminded me of the little ballet girls.   
  
"Look, at him." "Oh, my god!! Look at how he's dressed!! "Do you think that's the PHANTOM?" "That has to be the actor Jade was not talking about. "  
  
I turned and saw four young girls looking at me almost worshippingly. They aproached me cautiously, acting if I was an angel from heavne, instead of the demon from hell that I was. They would probably know if my home was still standing. "Would any of you know if the Paris Opera House still stands?" The girls just gaped at me.   
  
"Your voice..." One of them awed. The other three nodded their heads. The one who spoke looked at her friends, I backed away a step one of the three looked as if she was going to pounce on me. "We should intraduce ourselves... I'm Raven." The first girl smiled at me. "And the girls are, Kristen we call her "Kiki", Bina, and the one who looks like she's going to jump on you is Cassie. We are phans." The girls nodded.   
  
"Fans..." I repeated.   
  
"PHANS" Raven corrected me. "We are Phantom of the Opera phans, we love the show, and we love Erik." All four of the girls heaved a sigh.   
  
I arched an eyebrow. Well I arched both of them actaully in a disbelieving stare. But they couldn't see it those because of the mask. "Does the Paris Opera still stand?" I let out a surprised gasp when the girl named Cassie ran up behind me and propelled herself onto my back. I looked helplessly at the girls, while trying to get Cassie off my back. Cassie just held on tight.   
  
"Cassie, will glomp anything in a phantom outfit." Kristen looked me up and down, I must say you are one of the best looking phantoms I have seen. And yes, the Paris Opera is still as glorious as it was our Erik hurled the chandilier down into the audience."   
  
I groaned in relief it was still there I can still go home.   
  
"Sir, what is your name?" Bina, the only one who hasn't done anything or said anything spoke up.   
  
"Erik."   
  
"Your name is Erik?" Cassie screeched finally letting go of my back and neck.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Last name?"   
  
"No family name."  
  
"Your name is Erik and you have no lastname. Girls, I think we need to take our new friend to Jade."   
  
"Who's Jade?"   
  
Kiki, Bina, Cassie, and Raven looked at me with the same sly glance. "You'll find out soon enough." 


End file.
